Re: Is the Federation a True Democracy? And How Did It Reach That Poin

OneBuckFilms wrote:

RE: The Electoral College.

This to me is a counterbalance, as a way of preventing pure democracy turning into mob rule.

I have seen that bandied around quite a bit, but it never seen to me more than vague grandstanding. Any arguments in support to your claim?

OneBuckFilms wrote:

Any goverment system is imperfect. The American system is the least imperfect, and best system human beings have managed to create so far.

Hardly. It's a good system, but definitively not the best there is. Germany's systems are much less antagonistic while preserving healthy (and heated) debate, the French is a good compromise between presidential and parliamentary, and even the British one has its interesting features (I would generally say that somethings as deeply undemocratic as the House of Lords is a load of crap, and yet they play a surprisingly effective role at stopping populist legislation and to provide a cool voice in troubled times). If you are curious, the Italian one is shit, tho.

OneBuckFilms wrote:

House of Commons and House of Lords = House and Senate.

President = Prime Minister.

Semantics and some finer points are really the only functional differences.

Uh. The House of Lords is unelected. The Prime Minister is not the Head of State. I'd say these are more than cosmetic differences.

CorporalCaptain wrote:

A cursory search reveals that, besides the United States, the following countries have amended their respective constitutions: Ireland, India, Canada, Australia (in the form of referenda), Russia, Italy, Turkey, Norway, Brazil, and I think I'll just stop looking right there because it's now become increasingly clear that you're probably wrong about this.

Yep.

OneBuckFilms wrote:

There is no constitutional protection in any other constitution I can think of.

Think again.

OneBuckFilms wrote:

MacLeod wrote:

Can't a constitution be changed/ammeneded/altered etc... ?

In most cases, not without revolution. The US is different in this regard, in that the methodology to change the Constitution is part of it's design (Amendment process).